The present invention relates to a rocker seal attachment structure for attaching a rocker seal to the lower end of a door of a vehicle.
Some vehicles having a door supported with a door hinge to be selectively opened and closed include a cutline seal and a rocker seal, which are attached to an inside portion of the door to seal a space between the door and the body of the vehicle. The cutline seal is attached to an end of the door in the vicinity of the door hinge in a state extended in the vertical direction. The rocker seal has an elongated shape extending in the front-rear direction and is attached to the lower end of the door to seal a space between the door and the rocker panel of the body.
As described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-283847, for example, a technique for attaching a rocker seal to a door may employ a flange that projects from the lower end of a door toward the interior of the vehicle. Projections each having an engagement piece are formed at several positions of the flange. An attachment boss portion projecting toward the interior of the vehicle is formed between each adjacent pair of the projections of the flange. An attachment piece having engagement slots and engagement holes is formed in an upper portion of the rocker seal. Each of the attachment boss portions is inserted into the corresponding engagement hole and each of the projections is engaged with the corresponding engagement slot. The engagement pieces are then engaged with the attachment piece to attach the rocker seal to the door.
However, in the rocker seal attachment structure described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-283847, the rocker seal is attached to the door from the lateral side by means of the attachment piece, which is formed in the upper portion of the rocker seal. As a result, when receiving external force produced by, for example, wind, the rocker seal may be deformed and flapped in the widthwise direction of the vehicle about the attachment piece as a fulcrum, thus causing variation in the sealing state between the door and the rocker panel by means of the rocker seal. The attachment structure thus needs to be improved to stabilize the sealing state.